Okay, as I have been getting complaints that my fics are too heavy and dramatic, I've decided that I am gonna start putting warnings before any chapter that may be dramatic and non-"Friend"-ly.
Warning: This chapter is ridiculously dramatic, heavy, and sad. (I mean really, the word "funeral" is in the title, so you can't expect anything less from me.)
The Pact, Chapter Fourteen
"The One That Ends With A Funeral & A Broken Heart"
Phoebe closed the door behind Ross, and sighed heavily. She wondered if perhaps she was being too hard on Monica. After all, even Chandler seemed to be pretty forgiving of the whole situation. Phoebe thought back to the night of the reunion, and recalled the look of sadness and longing in Monica's eyes when she looked at Matthew. She did feel sorry for Monica, she'd been through so much. But Phoebe couldn't help but feel that Monica had taken advantage of Chandler, and that angered her. Phoebe watched from the doorway, as Chandler played with Mark and Elaina. She could certainly understand why Monica was attracted to him now. The phone rang, waking Matthew, and causing Phoebe to jump. Chandler looked over his shoulder, and saw Phoebe grabbing the phone, as she walked toward Matthew, who was now wailing at the top of his little lungs.
Chandler walked over to Phoebe and took Matthew from her arms. She thanked him quietly, and turned to concentrate on the call.
Chandler had managed to calm Matthew, and had just placed him back onto his blanket, when he heard the phone drop. He instructed Mark to watch the other children, as he raced through the house, looking for Phoebe. He finally found her in the kitchen, her face white and her back against the cabinets. She was staring at the phone as if it had attacked her or something. The receiver was beeping from being off the hook for so long. Chandler picked up the receiver, and clicked it off.
"Phoebe?" Chandler said quietly, knowing that she was barely aware of his presence. When she didn't reply, he tried again.
"Pheebs?"
Phoebe looked at Chandler, startled by his apparent sudden appearance.
"Pheebs, honey, what happened?"
"I...we, uh. the, uh children?" Pheobe stuttered, as a million thought began to whirl through her head.
"Phoebe, what's going on?" Chandler was beginning to panic.
"We, um, have to go to the hospital," Phoebe said, and her voice began to tremble, "It's Mike."
Chandler's eyes widened, and he was beginning to get the idea. He wrapped his right arm around Phoebe, and led her into the hallway. He rounded up Elaina and Mark, and picked up Matthew.
"Come on," Chandler said quietly, and led the group out to the car.
"Where are we going, Uncle Chandler?" Mark asked.
"We are going on a little trip," Chandler said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.
"What's wrong with my Mom?" Mark asked. Chandler looked over at Phoebe, and saw that she was crying.
"It's gonna be okay," Chandler said to both Phoebe and Mark, as he raced toward the hospital. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket, and called Monica. Ross and Rachel were still there, so he asked the three of them to meet him at the hospital.
"Why, what's happened?" Monica asked, already in a panic.
"I'm not sure, Mon, just hurry," Chandler said before hanging up to concentrate on the road.
Chandler, Phoebe and the children raced into the hospital ten minutes later, and Chandler left Phoebe and the kids in the waiting area went to the front desk to find out what was going on. The snippy receptionist told him to sit down, and a doctor would be out shortly. He walked back over to the waiting area, and sat down next to a shell shocked Phoebe. In all of the years that he had know Phoebe, he had never seen her this shaken up. He considered her to be one of the strongest people he'd ever met. He honestly did not know what to do for her, so he did the only thing he knew how to do--he wrapped his arms around her, and held her, hoping that it was not as bad as she thought it was.
Monica, Ross and Rachel came into the ER minutes later, looking panicked and lost. Chandler had given them little information, so they honestly had no idea who they were there to see. Once they saw the state that Phoebe was in, however, they had a feeling that it was Mike, and that it was bad.
"Chandler, what's going on?" Ross asked quietly.
"We don't know anything yet," Chandler said sadly. He looked at Phoebe, who seemed to be barely holding on.
"Monica," Chandler said, startling her, "Can you take Matthew?" Monica nodded, and took the sleeping baby from Phoebe. Without saying it, Ross and Rachel knew that they would be looking after Mark and Elaina.
Once Phoebe's arms were free, she simply held onto Chandler as though her own life depended on it.
"Mrs. Martinez?" a tall, dark-haired doctor called out into the waiting area. Phoebe and Chandler looked up, and Phoebe stood and turned, silently asking Chandler to come with her. She wasn't sure she could handle this on her own. She had been through so much in her life, and she always thought she would be able to handle anything. But she never saw this coming, not at all. She and Chandler walked out of earshot, so that Mark would not be able to hear what was going on. Phoebe didn't want him to hear bad news from a stranger.
"Mrs. Martinez, I'm very sorry, but there was nothing we could do for your husband," the doctor said quietly.
"What happened?" Chandler asked, as he felt Phoebe begin to tremble.
"Mr. Martinez was shot by a former client. The police are on their way. They'd like to have a word with you," the doctor said softly to Phoebe, who wasn't really listening.
Chandler stood there in shock. He knew that Mike was a private investigator, but he never really though that his job was dangerous. He just thought that he took photos of cheating husbands for their suspicious wives or something.
He looked at Phoebe, and thought that she had lost so much in her life, she truly did not deserve this. He led her back to the waiting area, and sat her down in a chair. The others looked at Chandler expectantly, but he simply shook his head, hoping that they would get the message.
The police arrived ten minutes later, and asked to speak to Phoebe. Phoebe looked at the children, and Ross took the hint, asking them if they wanted to go get some jello in the cafeteria. They always had jello at hospitals. Chandler translated Ross' question for Elaina, and was happy when she nodded enthusiastically. She took Monica's free hand, and followed Ross, Rachel and Mark. Once they were gone, the police told Phoebe what they knew about the person that had killed her husband. They told her that he was still at-large, and that they feared that the man may come after Phoebe and the children as well.
"Do you have some place else that you can stay, Mrs. Martinez?"
"Um, yeah, I think so," Phoebe said quietly.
"We are working as quickly as we can. We will need to know where you are staying," the officer said, handing Phoebe his card. "Call me as soon as you know. We'll be in touch." With that, the officers left Chandler and Phoebe alone.
"Pheebs, what can I do?" Chandler asked softly.
"I don't know," Phoebe said honestly. Chandler simply nodded, and hugged his old friend tightly.
**
Without hesitation, Monica told Phoebe that she and the children were welcome to stay with her as long as they needed to. This surprised Phoebe, considering the way she had been treating Monica lately. But Phoebe was in no mood to argue, and simply agreed that they would stay there temporarily. This put Chandler in a precarious position. Since he and Elaina had been staying with Phoebe, he now had nowhere to go. Ross and Rachel were still staying in a hotel, since they had just recently moved back from Europe. Chandler did not want to stay in a hotel, but he felt a bit uneasy about staying with Monica. Plus, she already had a houseful, with Phoebe, Matthew and Mark. In the end, Monica insisted that he stay, if for nothing else, than to help Phoebe. He finally relented.
"Chandler, I can sleep on the couch. You should sleep in my room with Elaina," Monica argued later that night.
"Forget it, you are pregnant. You and Elaina can sleep in there, I'm taking the couch."
"But--"
"Monica, you are not getting your way on this," Chandler stated flatly, his eyes telling her that she would not win this one.
"Fine," Monica said quietly.
"Monica, are you sure about this? I mean, maybe I'll be okay in the house..." Phoebe said, entering the living room after putting both Mark and Matthew to bed. She had just explained what had happened that day to Mark, and he had cried for most of the evening, which had worn him completely out. Phoebe found that telling her son about his father's death was the hardest thing that she had ever had to do. She had stayed with him until he finally fell asleep, and began dozing off herself, until she heard Chandler and Monica arguing over the sleeping arrangements.
"Don't be silly, Phoebe, you are staying here, and that's final," Monica said. She'd be damned if she was going to lose two arguments in the same night.
"It's fine, Pheebs, you and the boys will stay there, Monica and Elaina in her room, and I'll be out here," Chandler said quietly, before picking up a sleeping Elaina, and carrying her into Monica's room.
"I'm sorry about all this," Phoebe said sadly.
"Phoebe, the most important thing right now is your's and the boys' protection. You can stay here as long as you need to," Monica said softly.
"Even after the way I've been treating you?" Phoebe asked.
"C'mon, we all know I deserved it. Let's just focus on keeping you guys safe," Monica said quickly, not wanting to continue on the sore subject of her pregnancy.
Phoebe nodded, as Chandler came back out into the living room.
"So," he said, "who needs a stiff drink?"
Monica pulled out a bottle of wine, and two glasses, while Chandler and Phoebe took a seat on the sofa. Phoebe sighed heavily, knowing that the next few days were going to be horrible. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, and wondered if she would ever be the same again. Chandler picked up on her worries, and scooted closer to her on the sofa.
"Pheebs, if you wanna talk, we're here," he said quietly. But Phoebe didn't want to talk, she just wanted to wish this entire day away. She kept hoping that she would wake up, and find that this had all been one long, horrible dream. She felt Chandler put his arm around her, and silently thanked him for being such a great friend. She layed her head on his chest, and felt soft tears flow down her cheeks.
Monica walked over with the wine, and sat on the other end of the sofa. She knew it was unbelievably selfish, but she felt a small pang of jealousy. She wanted Chandler's arms around her so badly it hurt. She mentally scolded herself, knowing that she had made her own bed--she was going to have to sleep in it. Plus, Chandler was just being a good friend, something that she could take a lesson from, apparently. She shook her head, and handed Chandler and Phoebe a glass of wine.
Two hours later, Phoebe was finally able to fall asleep, though it was evident from the look on her face that she was not sleeping peacefully. Chandler picked her up carefully, and walked her into the guest room. He pulled a blanket over Phoebe and Mark, and looked into Matthew's bassinet. He sighed heavily. He couldn't believe that he was going to be having another one of these. As much as he loved Elaina, he sometimes felt overwhelmed with all that came with raising her. Of course this time it would be different, since he was certain that Monica was not going to take off, and abandon her family. But remembering how difficult it was for him and Elaina in those first few months after Rebecca's departure made Chadnler realize that his place was here. As much as he hated what Monica had done, he knew that he could never hate her. He had to forgive her for the sake of the baby. He wanted his children to have two parents, and a balanced life, something that he never had. He sighed again, and pulled Matthew's tiny blanket up around him, before leaving the guest room quietly. When he came back out into the living room, he saw that Monica was in the kitchen, rinsing out the wine glasses.
"Mon, we need to talk," Chandler said quietly. Monica turned off the water, and looked over at Chandler.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"We need to talk," Chandler repeated.
"Oh. Okay," Monica said slowly, and dried her hands before heading back into the living room.
"Mon, I know that things are never going to be the same between us, but..." Chandler stopped, and ran his hands through his hair. "But I need you to know, that I want to be here, that I want to be a good father, and--"
"Chandler, I know that you will be a good father. You already *are* a great father. I am not expecting anything from you," Monica interrupted.
"Mon, as much as I want to hate you for this...I can't. After everything that happened today, I just...I don't want to wake up one day, and discover that I have lost something that I never really had. I want to believe that we can work this out, and that you really do love me, but--it's just going to take time."
"Chandler, I do love you, and knowing that I have hurt you is killing me. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I need you, and love you, I'll do it. I'll do anything for you."
"Man, we sound like a bad tv movie-of-the-week," Chandler laughed, his head still woozy from the wine that he and Phoebe had consumed.
"I guess," Monica laughed. "So...we are gonna be okay?"
"Let's see what happens," Chandler said, his half-smile fading. "One step at a time, okay?"
"I can live with that," Monica smiled.
"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I think we'd better get some sleep," Chandler yawned.
Monica took the hint, and headed for her bedroom. "Goodnight, Chandler," she said, before stepping into her room.
"Goodnight, Monica."
****
~Los Angeles, California~
"Joey, what's going on?" Keilyn walked into Joey's apartment, and saw that it was almost totally empty. "I thought you were leaving in two weeks," she said.
"I got a call last night. Remeber my friend Phoebe, the one I was telling you about?"
"Yeah."
"Her husband was murdered yesterday. I gotta get back there, Ross says she's a wreck," Joey was walking around the apartment, making sure that everything was packed.
"So you are leaving early?" Keilyn asked.
"I have to, babe, she needs me," Joey stopped wandering, and looked at Keilyn. "I'm sorry. If you need more time, I understand."
"No, Joey, I don't think I need more time. That's why I came by. I've made my decision."
****
Joey landed at La Guardia twenty-four hours later, and was met at the gate by Chandler and Ross.
"Hey guys," Joey said, hugging his friends, "How is she?"
"Not great," Chandler said, "But better than she was two days ago."
"When is the funeral?"
"Tomorrow," Ross said, as they walked toward the luggage area.
"Is your girlfriend coming out here, Joe?" Chandler asked.
"No. She decided that she wanted to stay in LA," Joey fought to hold back his tears. He didn't realize how much he loved Keilyn, until he realized that he had lost her. He was beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision.
"Oh. Sorry man," Chandler said.
"Yeah," Joey whispered.
***
Two hours later, the guys walked into Monica's apartment. One look at Phoebe, and Joey knew that he had, in fact, made the right choice. Without a word, he walked over to Phoebe, and hugged her tightly, hoping that he could help take away just a little bit of her pain. While his heart was still breaking, he knew without a doubt that he belonged here, with his friends.
This was where they all belonged.
~*~
oooookay. I guess I could make that the end. I was thinking about continuing, esp with Phoebe's story, but holy, crap this thing has lots of chapters, eh? Anyhoo, lemme know what you think.
Warning: This chapter is ridiculously dramatic, heavy, and sad. (I mean really, the word "funeral" is in the title, so you can't expect anything less from me.)
The Pact, Chapter Fourteen
"The One That Ends With A Funeral & A Broken Heart"
Phoebe closed the door behind Ross, and sighed heavily. She wondered if perhaps she was being too hard on Monica. After all, even Chandler seemed to be pretty forgiving of the whole situation. Phoebe thought back to the night of the reunion, and recalled the look of sadness and longing in Monica's eyes when she looked at Matthew. She did feel sorry for Monica, she'd been through so much. But Phoebe couldn't help but feel that Monica had taken advantage of Chandler, and that angered her. Phoebe watched from the doorway, as Chandler played with Mark and Elaina. She could certainly understand why Monica was attracted to him now. The phone rang, waking Matthew, and causing Phoebe to jump. Chandler looked over his shoulder, and saw Phoebe grabbing the phone, as she walked toward Matthew, who was now wailing at the top of his little lungs.
Chandler walked over to Phoebe and took Matthew from her arms. She thanked him quietly, and turned to concentrate on the call.
Chandler had managed to calm Matthew, and had just placed him back onto his blanket, when he heard the phone drop. He instructed Mark to watch the other children, as he raced through the house, looking for Phoebe. He finally found her in the kitchen, her face white and her back against the cabinets. She was staring at the phone as if it had attacked her or something. The receiver was beeping from being off the hook for so long. Chandler picked up the receiver, and clicked it off.
"Phoebe?" Chandler said quietly, knowing that she was barely aware of his presence. When she didn't reply, he tried again.
"Pheebs?"
Phoebe looked at Chandler, startled by his apparent sudden appearance.
"Pheebs, honey, what happened?"
"I...we, uh. the, uh children?" Pheobe stuttered, as a million thought began to whirl through her head.
"Phoebe, what's going on?" Chandler was beginning to panic.
"We, um, have to go to the hospital," Phoebe said, and her voice began to tremble, "It's Mike."
Chandler's eyes widened, and he was beginning to get the idea. He wrapped his right arm around Phoebe, and led her into the hallway. He rounded up Elaina and Mark, and picked up Matthew.
"Come on," Chandler said quietly, and led the group out to the car.
"Where are we going, Uncle Chandler?" Mark asked.
"We are going on a little trip," Chandler said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.
"What's wrong with my Mom?" Mark asked. Chandler looked over at Phoebe, and saw that she was crying.
"It's gonna be okay," Chandler said to both Phoebe and Mark, as he raced toward the hospital. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket, and called Monica. Ross and Rachel were still there, so he asked the three of them to meet him at the hospital.
"Why, what's happened?" Monica asked, already in a panic.
"I'm not sure, Mon, just hurry," Chandler said before hanging up to concentrate on the road.
Chandler, Phoebe and the children raced into the hospital ten minutes later, and Chandler left Phoebe and the kids in the waiting area went to the front desk to find out what was going on. The snippy receptionist told him to sit down, and a doctor would be out shortly. He walked back over to the waiting area, and sat down next to a shell shocked Phoebe. In all of the years that he had know Phoebe, he had never seen her this shaken up. He considered her to be one of the strongest people he'd ever met. He honestly did not know what to do for her, so he did the only thing he knew how to do--he wrapped his arms around her, and held her, hoping that it was not as bad as she thought it was.
Monica, Ross and Rachel came into the ER minutes later, looking panicked and lost. Chandler had given them little information, so they honestly had no idea who they were there to see. Once they saw the state that Phoebe was in, however, they had a feeling that it was Mike, and that it was bad.
"Chandler, what's going on?" Ross asked quietly.
"We don't know anything yet," Chandler said sadly. He looked at Phoebe, who seemed to be barely holding on.
"Monica," Chandler said, startling her, "Can you take Matthew?" Monica nodded, and took the sleeping baby from Phoebe. Without saying it, Ross and Rachel knew that they would be looking after Mark and Elaina.
Once Phoebe's arms were free, she simply held onto Chandler as though her own life depended on it.
"Mrs. Martinez?" a tall, dark-haired doctor called out into the waiting area. Phoebe and Chandler looked up, and Phoebe stood and turned, silently asking Chandler to come with her. She wasn't sure she could handle this on her own. She had been through so much in her life, and she always thought she would be able to handle anything. But she never saw this coming, not at all. She and Chandler walked out of earshot, so that Mark would not be able to hear what was going on. Phoebe didn't want him to hear bad news from a stranger.
"Mrs. Martinez, I'm very sorry, but there was nothing we could do for your husband," the doctor said quietly.
"What happened?" Chandler asked, as he felt Phoebe begin to tremble.
"Mr. Martinez was shot by a former client. The police are on their way. They'd like to have a word with you," the doctor said softly to Phoebe, who wasn't really listening.
Chandler stood there in shock. He knew that Mike was a private investigator, but he never really though that his job was dangerous. He just thought that he took photos of cheating husbands for their suspicious wives or something.
He looked at Phoebe, and thought that she had lost so much in her life, she truly did not deserve this. He led her back to the waiting area, and sat her down in a chair. The others looked at Chandler expectantly, but he simply shook his head, hoping that they would get the message.
The police arrived ten minutes later, and asked to speak to Phoebe. Phoebe looked at the children, and Ross took the hint, asking them if they wanted to go get some jello in the cafeteria. They always had jello at hospitals. Chandler translated Ross' question for Elaina, and was happy when she nodded enthusiastically. She took Monica's free hand, and followed Ross, Rachel and Mark. Once they were gone, the police told Phoebe what they knew about the person that had killed her husband. They told her that he was still at-large, and that they feared that the man may come after Phoebe and the children as well.
"Do you have some place else that you can stay, Mrs. Martinez?"
"Um, yeah, I think so," Phoebe said quietly.
"We are working as quickly as we can. We will need to know where you are staying," the officer said, handing Phoebe his card. "Call me as soon as you know. We'll be in touch." With that, the officers left Chandler and Phoebe alone.
"Pheebs, what can I do?" Chandler asked softly.
"I don't know," Phoebe said honestly. Chandler simply nodded, and hugged his old friend tightly.
**
Without hesitation, Monica told Phoebe that she and the children were welcome to stay with her as long as they needed to. This surprised Phoebe, considering the way she had been treating Monica lately. But Phoebe was in no mood to argue, and simply agreed that they would stay there temporarily. This put Chandler in a precarious position. Since he and Elaina had been staying with Phoebe, he now had nowhere to go. Ross and Rachel were still staying in a hotel, since they had just recently moved back from Europe. Chandler did not want to stay in a hotel, but he felt a bit uneasy about staying with Monica. Plus, she already had a houseful, with Phoebe, Matthew and Mark. In the end, Monica insisted that he stay, if for nothing else, than to help Phoebe. He finally relented.
"Chandler, I can sleep on the couch. You should sleep in my room with Elaina," Monica argued later that night.
"Forget it, you are pregnant. You and Elaina can sleep in there, I'm taking the couch."
"But--"
"Monica, you are not getting your way on this," Chandler stated flatly, his eyes telling her that she would not win this one.
"Fine," Monica said quietly.
"Monica, are you sure about this? I mean, maybe I'll be okay in the house..." Phoebe said, entering the living room after putting both Mark and Matthew to bed. She had just explained what had happened that day to Mark, and he had cried for most of the evening, which had worn him completely out. Phoebe found that telling her son about his father's death was the hardest thing that she had ever had to do. She had stayed with him until he finally fell asleep, and began dozing off herself, until she heard Chandler and Monica arguing over the sleeping arrangements.
"Don't be silly, Phoebe, you are staying here, and that's final," Monica said. She'd be damned if she was going to lose two arguments in the same night.
"It's fine, Pheebs, you and the boys will stay there, Monica and Elaina in her room, and I'll be out here," Chandler said quietly, before picking up a sleeping Elaina, and carrying her into Monica's room.
"I'm sorry about all this," Phoebe said sadly.
"Phoebe, the most important thing right now is your's and the boys' protection. You can stay here as long as you need to," Monica said softly.
"Even after the way I've been treating you?" Phoebe asked.
"C'mon, we all know I deserved it. Let's just focus on keeping you guys safe," Monica said quickly, not wanting to continue on the sore subject of her pregnancy.
Phoebe nodded, as Chandler came back out into the living room.
"So," he said, "who needs a stiff drink?"
Monica pulled out a bottle of wine, and two glasses, while Chandler and Phoebe took a seat on the sofa. Phoebe sighed heavily, knowing that the next few days were going to be horrible. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, and wondered if she would ever be the same again. Chandler picked up on her worries, and scooted closer to her on the sofa.
"Pheebs, if you wanna talk, we're here," he said quietly. But Phoebe didn't want to talk, she just wanted to wish this entire day away. She kept hoping that she would wake up, and find that this had all been one long, horrible dream. She felt Chandler put his arm around her, and silently thanked him for being such a great friend. She layed her head on his chest, and felt soft tears flow down her cheeks.
Monica walked over with the wine, and sat on the other end of the sofa. She knew it was unbelievably selfish, but she felt a small pang of jealousy. She wanted Chandler's arms around her so badly it hurt. She mentally scolded herself, knowing that she had made her own bed--she was going to have to sleep in it. Plus, Chandler was just being a good friend, something that she could take a lesson from, apparently. She shook her head, and handed Chandler and Phoebe a glass of wine.
Two hours later, Phoebe was finally able to fall asleep, though it was evident from the look on her face that she was not sleeping peacefully. Chandler picked her up carefully, and walked her into the guest room. He pulled a blanket over Phoebe and Mark, and looked into Matthew's bassinet. He sighed heavily. He couldn't believe that he was going to be having another one of these. As much as he loved Elaina, he sometimes felt overwhelmed with all that came with raising her. Of course this time it would be different, since he was certain that Monica was not going to take off, and abandon her family. But remembering how difficult it was for him and Elaina in those first few months after Rebecca's departure made Chadnler realize that his place was here. As much as he hated what Monica had done, he knew that he could never hate her. He had to forgive her for the sake of the baby. He wanted his children to have two parents, and a balanced life, something that he never had. He sighed again, and pulled Matthew's tiny blanket up around him, before leaving the guest room quietly. When he came back out into the living room, he saw that Monica was in the kitchen, rinsing out the wine glasses.
"Mon, we need to talk," Chandler said quietly. Monica turned off the water, and looked over at Chandler.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"We need to talk," Chandler repeated.
"Oh. Okay," Monica said slowly, and dried her hands before heading back into the living room.
"Mon, I know that things are never going to be the same between us, but..." Chandler stopped, and ran his hands through his hair. "But I need you to know, that I want to be here, that I want to be a good father, and--"
"Chandler, I know that you will be a good father. You already *are* a great father. I am not expecting anything from you," Monica interrupted.
"Mon, as much as I want to hate you for this...I can't. After everything that happened today, I just...I don't want to wake up one day, and discover that I have lost something that I never really had. I want to believe that we can work this out, and that you really do love me, but--it's just going to take time."
"Chandler, I do love you, and knowing that I have hurt you is killing me. If I have to spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I need you, and love you, I'll do it. I'll do anything for you."
"Man, we sound like a bad tv movie-of-the-week," Chandler laughed, his head still woozy from the wine that he and Phoebe had consumed.
"I guess," Monica laughed. "So...we are gonna be okay?"
"Let's see what happens," Chandler said, his half-smile fading. "One step at a time, okay?"
"I can live with that," Monica smiled.
"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I think we'd better get some sleep," Chandler yawned.
Monica took the hint, and headed for her bedroom. "Goodnight, Chandler," she said, before stepping into her room.
"Goodnight, Monica."
****
~Los Angeles, California~
"Joey, what's going on?" Keilyn walked into Joey's apartment, and saw that it was almost totally empty. "I thought you were leaving in two weeks," she said.
"I got a call last night. Remeber my friend Phoebe, the one I was telling you about?"
"Yeah."
"Her husband was murdered yesterday. I gotta get back there, Ross says she's a wreck," Joey was walking around the apartment, making sure that everything was packed.
"So you are leaving early?" Keilyn asked.
"I have to, babe, she needs me," Joey stopped wandering, and looked at Keilyn. "I'm sorry. If you need more time, I understand."
"No, Joey, I don't think I need more time. That's why I came by. I've made my decision."
****
Joey landed at La Guardia twenty-four hours later, and was met at the gate by Chandler and Ross.
"Hey guys," Joey said, hugging his friends, "How is she?"
"Not great," Chandler said, "But better than she was two days ago."
"When is the funeral?"
"Tomorrow," Ross said, as they walked toward the luggage area.
"Is your girlfriend coming out here, Joe?" Chandler asked.
"No. She decided that she wanted to stay in LA," Joey fought to hold back his tears. He didn't realize how much he loved Keilyn, until he realized that he had lost her. He was beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision.
"Oh. Sorry man," Chandler said.
"Yeah," Joey whispered.
***
Two hours later, the guys walked into Monica's apartment. One look at Phoebe, and Joey knew that he had, in fact, made the right choice. Without a word, he walked over to Phoebe, and hugged her tightly, hoping that he could help take away just a little bit of her pain. While his heart was still breaking, he knew without a doubt that he belonged here, with his friends.
This was where they all belonged.
~*~
oooookay. I guess I could make that the end. I was thinking about continuing, esp with Phoebe's story, but holy, crap this thing has lots of chapters, eh? Anyhoo, lemme know what you think.
